Atacama Desert
Photo: NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Atacama Desert stretches across a vast 1,600-kilometer (1,000-mile) strip along Chile's Pacific coast, covering an area of 105,000 square kilometers that expands to 128,000 square kilometers when including the barren Andes foothills. This extraordinary landscape is the world's driest nonpolar desert and the largest fog desert on Earth, receiving virtually no precipitation due to a unique double rain shadow effect created by both the Andes Mountains and Chilean Coast Range. The desert's Mars-like conditions have made it a prime testing ground for space exploration simulations, while its ancient geoglyphs create one of the world's largest outdoor art galleries. The extreme aridity, caused by the cool Humboldt Current and Pacific anticyclone, has preserved archaeological treasures for millennia in this otherworldly environment. Ancient Aliens has explored whether the region's concentration of geoglyphs and reported UFO activity might indicate a connection to extraterrestrial visitation, pointing to the site's remote location and astronomical alignments as suggestive evidence. However, archaeological research documents these geoglyphs as ritual, ceremonial, and agricultural markers created over two millennia by successive Andean cultures including the Nazca and Tiwanaku civilizations, with purposes tied to water management, astronomical observation, and religious practices evident in the material record. The Atacama's fame as a modern UFO hotspot appears to be a more recent phenomenon, emerging primarily after the geoglyphs gained global attention in the 20th century rather than showing a continuous pattern of historical documentation.
Timeline
Earliest known geoglyphs begin appearing across the desert, created by pre-Columbian Andean cultures
Peak period of geoglyph creation by Tiwanaku and related civilizations
Final period of geoglyph creation before Spanish colonization
Modern archaeological surveys begin systematically documenting the desert's thousands of ancient geoglyphs
What the Show Claims
- ›The 5,000+ ancient geoglyphs found in Chile's Atacama Desert are connected to high UFO sightings in the region, suggesting a possible connection between ancient sites and extraterrestrial visitation patternsS15E03
What Archaeology Says
Archaeological investigations across the Atacama Desert have documented over 5,000 geoglyphs created by various pre-Columbian cultures, including the Nazca, Tiwanaku, and other Andean civilizations spanning nearly three millennia. These remarkable ground drawings, preserved by the desert's extreme aridity, represent one of the world's largest concentrations of ancient geoglyphs, created by removing dark surface stones to reveal lighter-colored earth beneath.
Researchers have identified clear patterns in the geoglyphs' distribution and design, with many aligned to astronomical phenomena, seasonal water sources, and ancient trade routes crossing the desert. The designs range from geometric patterns and straight lines to representations of humans, animals, and complex ritual scenes, suggesting multiple purposes including ceremonial activities, astronomical observations, and territorial markers for different cultural groups.
Scientific analysis reveals that these geoglyphs served practical and spiritual functions for ancient Andean peoples, with many oriented toward mountain peaks considered sacred or marking seasonal changes important for agriculture and navigation. The desert's unique preservation conditions have maintained these ancient works largely intact, providing an unparalleled window into pre-Columbian artistic and cultural expression.
While much has been learned about the geoglyphs' construction techniques and cultural contexts, questions remain about the specific meanings of many individual designs and the coordination required for such large-scale artistic undertakings across vast distances. The relationship between different geoglyph styles and their creators continues to be refined through ongoing archaeological research.
Mysteries & Fun Facts
The Atacama Desert is so dry that some weather stations have never recorded rainfall, and some areas may not see precipitation for decades
NASA uses the desert as a Mars analog site for testing rovers and equipment due to its similarity to Martian conditions
The desert's extreme conditions have preserved organic materials so well that 500-year-old mummies have been found naturally preserved
Some areas of the Atacama are considered sterile, with soil samples showing no detectable microbial life
Planning a Visit
The Atacama Desert is generally accessible to visitors through organized tours from cities like Calama or San Pedro de Atacama, with many geoglyph sites reachable by 4WD vehicle. The extreme desert environment requires proper preparation including sun protection, adequate water supplies, and appropriate clothing for temperature variations.
San Pedro de Atacama, approximately 100 kilometers southeast of many major geoglyph sites.
Visit during Chile's winter months (May to September) when temperatures are more moderate and daytime conditions are most comfortable for desert exploration.
Related Sites
Plain of Jars
An ancient site with thousands of mysterious stone formations across a remote landscape, paralleling the Atacama's vast field of geoglyphs
Chichen Itza - Kukulkan Temple
A precisely aligned ancient structure that demonstrates sophisticated astronomical knowledge among pre-Columbian civilizations
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Historical data sourced from Wikipedia